As AU gears up for the 2008-2009 men's basketball season, they will enjoy a 65th preseason ranking from Rivals.com - an improvement from last year's preview, when ESPN ranked the Eagles 243rd. But Head Coach Jeff Jones and his team aren't paying any mind.
"It means nothing. Just the same way it meant nothing last year when we were picked to be fifth (in the Patriot League)," he said. "It's nice for the fans when you get some attention like that, but the bottom line is you still got to get the job done."
Jones is looking forward to the upcoming season and to see what the team can do. He said they "worked extremely hard and had an outstanding off season."
The Eagles wasted little time after last season's loss to the University of Tennessee in the NCAA tournament, getting only 10 days off before they got back to practice. The team got back on the court in pick-up games and played in the Kenner League, one of the premier summer college basketball leagues in the country held at Georgetown University.
"We had about eight or nine guys here in town for most or part of summer," Jones said.
The Eagles got back in the weight room quickly, which Jones said is a big emphasis in the program and an important part of the team's success.
The team will miss starter Bryce Simon after he tore his ACL in last season's Patriot League semifinal. The senior forward's playing future is hard to determine at the moment but Jones hopes to have him back as early as December. It will be up to senior guard Frank Borden to take his place. Jones said he is confident in Borden and his team.
"We know that we've got a number of veteran players that are going to be looking to pick up the slack having Bryce out," Jones said.
Jones will look to veteran leadership in Derrick Mercer to lead his team through the Patriot League.
"You've got Derrick Mercer on the court, that is clearly the guy that our players look to," Jones said. Mercer, a senior point guard was recently named to the Collegeinsider.com Preseason Mid-Major All-America Team.
But Mercer isn't the only one that can help lead this team.
"It's a great situation when you've got a lot of guys who you would consider being leaders," Jones said. "You've got a guy like Brian Gilmore who is more of a verbal leader on the team and Bryce Simon (though hurt) who is the quiet thoughtful guy."
Much as they did last year, the Eagles will continue to look for Garrison Carr on the perimeter. ESPN.com lists the senior guard eighth among the top 3-point shooters in college basketball.
"He's going to get an awful lot of attention from the opposing defenses but we'll try to do things offensively to free him up," Jones said, adding that Carr will need to play off the dribble and be able to create his own shot.
"One thing we'd like to be able to add would be to have some sort of inside scoring threat that we didn't have a year ago," Jones said. He pointed out that Frane Markusovic could be that threat.
"He's a big target. He's got good hands," Jones said. "Hopefully he can develop some confidence and be that guy to give us some inside points that we weren't able to create last year."
The Eagles will get more national coverage this season as the Patriot League will be appear on ESPNU.
"It's an opportunity for us to show people what AU basketball is about," Jones said. "Hopefully if we're here in Bender, we can show them a lively crowd and a great environment."
The team will meet stiff competition in regular season play when they take on the likes of the University of Maryland and Georgetown. They
